That night, Xu Fengling tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.
Her mind was filled with her mother’s face… and, of course, her abusive father… She didn’t know what Ye Lingyue had done to him, and she didn’t dare ask.
But she knew one thing… no matter what Lingyue had done, she wouldn’t feel an ounce of pity for that man… not a single bit.
“Hey, little wind chime, can’t sleep?”
Ye Lingyue appeared at the bedroom door at some point.
She was wearing a black silk nightgown, her long hair loose over her shoulders, holding two cups of liquid in her hands.
“Have something to drink.”
She handed one of the cups to Xu Fengling.
Xu Fengling took the cup and sniffed it.
There was no scent of blood.
Instead, there was a faint, sweet aroma.
“What is this?”
“Hot cocoa.”
Hearing this, Xu Fengling took a sip…
It was very sweet, very warm, and had a flavor she couldn’t quite place, but she didn’t dwell on it.
Then she said, “It’s delicious.”
Ye Lingyue sat down beside her and drank from her own cup.
The two of them sat quietly like that, neither speaking.
After about ten minutes, Xu Fengling suddenly felt her eyelids growing heavy.
“Hey… Lingyue…”
“Hmm? What’s up?”
“You said… do you think I can ever change back to how I was before?”
Ye Lingyue turned her head to look at her and asked in return, “Do you want to change back?”
Xu Fengling thought carefully.
Did she… want to change back?
Back to that weak boy everyone bullied… To be honest, she didn’t want to go back at all.
“No.”
Hearing this, Ye Lingyue’s eyes curved into a smile as she said softly, “Then that’s good! Because I won’t let you change back either…”
Then she reached out and pulled Xu Fengling into her embrace, resting her chin on the top of Xu Fengling’s head.
“You know what? Little Fengling… The way you are now is exactly the you I want the most~ So small and soft… all mine.”
Xu Fengling leaned against her, listening to her speak.
Her voice was very pleasant, deep and gentle like a cello.
By this point, Xu Fengling’s mind was already getting a bit fuzzy… She just felt that Ye Lingyue’s embrace was very comfortable and reassuring.
She even felt that the rest of the world was dangerous, and only Lingyue’s side was safe.
“Lingyue… I… don’t want to leave here.”
Xu Fengling’s voice was very small now, but Ye Lingyue still heard her clearly.
“Then don’t leave.”
Her Lingyue tightened her arms.
“Mmm…”
With a long sigh, Xu Fengling finally closed her eyes.
Ye Lingyue lowered her head and placed a light kiss on her forehead.
“Little Fengling, you must be good, okay~”
However, Xu Fengling could no longer hear these words.
…
The next morning, Xu Fengling rubbed her eyes, sat up in bed, spaced out for a while, and then slowly began to wash up and change.
When she went downstairs, she heard sounds coming from the kitchen.
“Lingyue?”
She walked over and found Ye Lingyue frying eggs.
“Awake? Breakfast is almost ready!”
Ye Lingyue turned her head and smiled.
“Let me help.”
Xu Fengling walked over, saying.
“No need.”
Ye Lingyue said calmly.
“But…”
“Little Fengling.”
Ye Lingyue turned off the stove and turned to look at her.
“I’ve already said, just leave all these things to me.”
“Well… okay then.”
She obediently took a step back.
Ye Lingyue smiled with satisfaction and went back to frying the eggs.
Xu Fengling stood at the kitchen doorway, carefully watching her busy back.
Then, she suddenly remembered something and said, “By the way, Lingyue, I’ve been meaning to ask these past few days… don’t we need to go out?”
“Go out?”
“Yeah, like going for a walk, or to the supermarket or something.”
Ye Lingyue was silent for a few seconds, then put the fried eggs on a plate and walked over carrying it, asking with a smile, “So you really want to go out?”
“It’s… not that I really want to… I just feel a bit cooped up staying inside all the time…”
Xu Fengling lightly scratched her hair.
“Then wait a few more days. Once your body has fully adjusted, I’ll take you out.”
Ye Lingyue gently patted Xu Fengling’s little head.
“Really?”
Xu Fengling’s eyes sparkled as she asked.
“Of course it’s true~”
“Mhm, mhm!” Then she sat down and started eating breakfast.
Ye Lingyue sat across from her, holding that cup of blood-red liquid, smiling as she watched her eat.
“Oh, right, little Fengling, what do you want to learn in the future?”
“Learn what?”
“Yes, you don’t have to go to school anymore, but you can’t just learn nothing. What do you want to learn? I’ll teach you.”
Xu Fengling thought about it.
She used to be pretty good at studying… but that was because besides studying, she didn’t have much else to do.
Now, suddenly being asked what she wanted to learn, she really couldn’t answer.
“I don’t know…” she said honestly.
“Then we’ll try everything. Let’s start with history and literature. I’m best at teaching those. As for Blood Clan Magic, we’ll talk about that once your body stabilizes.”
“Okay.”
Suddenly, she felt a little excited… Vampire Magic… It must be really splendid and cool!
After breakfast, Ye Lingyue took her to the study.
This study… all four walls were bookshelves, packed full from floor to ceiling with books.
In the middle was a huge desk, and on it were a laptop and some stationery.
“Have a seat.”
Ye Lingyue pointed to the chair in front of the desk.
Xu Fengling plopped down into it.
However, the chair was a bit too high for her now; her feet couldn’t touch the ground at all… She tried wiggling down a bit, but nearly fell off.
Seeing this adorable scene, Ye Lingyue couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“What are you laughing at!”
Xu Fengling said, a bit annoyed.
“Nothing, I just think you’re so cute~”
Ye Lingyue brought over a small stool from the side and placed it under her feet.
“Is that better?”
“Mmm… thank you.”
Then Ye Lingyue pulled a book from the shelf and placed it in front of her, saying, “Then let’s start with this one, ‘Medieval European History.'”
Xu Fengling opened the book and glanced at the table of contents, asking, “Why Medieval Europe?”
“Because it’s related to Vampire history. Do you want to learn about Vampires?”
“Yes! Very much!”
“Then start with this book. After you finish it, I’ll tell you more.”
Xu Fengling nodded, then began reading the book seriously.
Ye Lingyue sat beside her, quietly watching her.
The two of them sat like that the entire morning.
At that moment, sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on Xu Fengling’s tiny fingers.
Xu Fengling looked at the words, but her mind was elsewhere.
How long could days like this last?
She stole a glance at Ye Lingyue beside her.
Lingyue was currently looking down at a book whose contents were unknown.
For some reason… Xu Fengling suddenly remembered that night.
That moment… when Ye Lingyue bit her neck.
That pain of being pierced by something… and after the pain, that indescribable feeling she couldn’t put into words…
She quickly turned her gaze back to the book.
Yet, her little face betrayed her by turning red.
“What’s wrong?”
Ye Lingyue asked.
“N-nothing!”
Ye Lingyue looked at her carefully for a few seconds, but in the end said nothing and went back to reading her book.